Friday 2 November 2007

At last Fred Phelps gets his come-uppance!

At last, Fred Phelps and his deluded cult have got their just reward for spreading hate and promoting extremism.
In today's Newswatch email from the Bible Society,
"ROGUE CHURCH ORDERED TO COMPENSATE SOLDIER'S FAMILY
An independent church that pickets US soldiers' funerals claiming their deaths are a punishment for American tolerance of homosexuality has been fined $10.9 million. Grieving father Albert Snyder sued the Westboro Baptist Church after members demonstrated at the funeral of his son, Marine Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq. The church – composed largely of members of its leader's relatives – regularly attends military funerals waving banners declaring 'God hates fags' and 'Thank God for dead soldiers'. A Baltimore jury ruled that the church had violated the family's privacy and deliberately inflicted emotional distress."

Sources: The Guardian (1/11); The Times (1/11)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2203227,00.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2783974.ece

In my opinion, they should be pursued and forced to pay.  They've done nothing but spread grief and cause emotional turmoil for grieving families, and forced their hatred on others when they are most vulnerable.  Perhaps a life of working to pay off $11m will quiet them down enough to enable them to rethink.